Wardrobe-trunk.



H. W. ROUNTREE.

WARDROBE TRUNK. APPLICATION man JAN. 28. 1915.

Patented. M31213, 1915.

WVCMMQM .lll.

AMIDMOBlE-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr, T3, laid.

Annlic'attonflled January 28, 1915. Serial no. t t tli.

To all whom it maytoncem HENRY W. ItoUN'rann, a citizen of the United States of mace, and a resident of Richmond, county of Henrico, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n "Wardrobe-Trunks, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

The object of this invention is to provide the trunk with a clothing-holding or pressof simple and improved construction, which may be readily put into posit on for use or removal from the trunk and which rmay be readily adjusted, pressed against the suspended clothing and eflectively hold the clothing against being mussed up during transportation, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure- 1 is a perspective view of an open wardrobe trunk having my device applied thereto in the position it occupies when in use; Figs. 2, 3, 4c and 5 are detail views hereinafter described.

My device consists of upper and lower pressure bars a, each of which is provided at each endwith a projecting pin b and which are connected by a pair of straps 0 and a tensile spring d, the straps being connected to the upper bar at separated points and being converged downwardly to a ring 6, to which is connected the spring 01, whose lower end is connected to the lower bar, the tendency of the spring when the device is in position in the trunk being to hold the straps taut and to draw the bars a toward each other.

When the device is in position, each of the pins 7) of the upper bar rest in upwardlyopening notches f formed in the upper edge of a rib or flange g fastened to the inner face of the trunk wall at a point in the upper part of the trunk. The two upper notched flanges g are arranged at opposite sides of the trunk and parallel with each ing device other, and at a suitable distance below these.

flanges there is fastened another pair of flanges h provided in their under edges with a similar series of downwardly facing notches i, which are adapted to receive the pins b of the lower bar, said flanges 9 an being desirably formed of sheet metal bent into channel form, flanges j being formed along the free edges of the channel to receive the nails or screws for fastening the they are pushed in to give flanges to the trunk wall. The upper pair of notched flanges is so arranged with respect to the lower pair of flanges that when the pins 1) of the bars are engaged in the respective notches, the tension of the spring d will be sufficient to hold them in position in said notches; that is, sufficient to hold the upper pins down in the upper notches and draw the lower pins up into the lower notches.

With this construction, it will be observed that the bars a are independently adjustable along their respective flanges and when the desired pressure on the clothing (which as usual is hung upon the hangers is suspended in the trunk), the pins will interlock with the notches and thus hold them in their adjusted position. The idea of making the bars independently adjustable enables the pressure on the clothing. to be regulated to suit the amount of clothing lying immediately back of each bar; and the advantage in using the diverging straps 0 to connect the spring to the upper bar is that these straps present a broad surface to the clothing and thus aid in preventing the clothing being mussed up in transportation.

In adjusting the device to suit the amount of clothing in the trunk, it will beseen that it is simply necessary to raise the upper bar against the'tension of the spring and push it inwardly'to the desired notches, while the lower bar may be adjusted by pulling it down far enough to free it from the notches and then press it inwardly to the desired pair of notches. In order to prevent the lower bar being pressed down too far away from the lower flanges and in order to guide it in its adjusting movements, I provide each wall of the trunk, at a point a little below the lower notches, with an inwardly projecting flange Z which lies parallel with the adjacent flange g, so that, when the said bar a is depressed out of its notches, its pins b strike against the flanges Z and serve as a stop against downward movement of the bar, thereby enabling the bar to be quickly and easily adjusted in and out.

The pressure bars a may be constructed in any suitable manner, as is evident, but I prefer constructing them of two strips of wood on clamped against the opposite faces of the central rod b by a suitable covering of canvas or other material, the wood strips m being fastened to the rod by pin 0 and the I at . up into the lower projecting ends of the rod 5' serving as the pins 6.

Having thus described my claim is:

1. A wardrobe trunk provided on the interior of its walls with two pairs of separated flanges, the upper pair being provi ed with upwardly opening notches and the lower pair with downwardly opening notches, erally projecting ins adapted to rest in the up or notches-an another pressure bar providzad with similar pins adapted to engage up into the lower notches, necting means normally said bars together.

A wardrobe trunk provided on the interior of its walls with two pairs of separated flanges, the upper pair being provided with upwardly opening notches and the lower pair with downwardly opening notches, a pressure bar provided with laterally projecting pins adapted to rest in the upper notches and another pressure bar provided with similar pins adapted to engage notches, spring connecting invention, what tending to draw ranged below a pressure bar provided with latand spring conmeans normally tending to draw said bars together, and a pair of guide flanges arthe lower pair of notched. flanges, for the purpose set forth. I 3. A wardr provided on the interior of its walls with two pairs of se arated flanges, the upper pair being provided with upwardly opening notches and the lower pair with downwardly opening notches, a pressure bar provided with laterally projecting pins adapted to rest in the upper notches and another (pressure bar pr0- v1 edwith similar pins a apted to engage up into the lower notches, spring connecting means normally tending to draw said bars together, said connecting device consisting of a tensile spring attached to the lower bar and a pair of upwardly diverging straps to connect the upper end of the spring to the upper bar.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix signature in the presence of two witnesses. HENRY W. ROUNTREE. Witnesses: STAFFORD H. PARKER,

ALLER HOWARD.

obe trunk 

